Explosion at Japan restaurant injures 42: police

Firefighters work at the scene after an explosion at a restaurant in Sapporo, in the northern Hokkaido prefecture on December 16, 2018. [AFP]

An explosion at a restaurant in northern Japan injured 42 people late Sunday, police said, with the blast reportedly causing surrounding buildings to collapse.

Fires broke out following the incident in the northern city of Sapporo, Kyodo news agency said, and images from the scene showed large flames and plumes of smoke rising in the night air.